Fandom5K 2018
Mar. 24th, 2018 12:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aurillyHello, dear writer! This is the exchange of my dreams. :D Especially for longer fic, it's so much more important that YOU are having fun and feeling passionate about what you're writing. As long as there's a happy/hopeful ending and you avoid the do not wants, go where your interests take you and I'm sure I'll love it. If you aren't feeling the prompts, go ahead and write your own idea, maybe trying to incorporate one of the general likes? Thank you!
I'm trying to wrangle my letters back to a saner length, but I don't think it worked, so here are anchor links to the different sections:
Lymond Chronicles, Narnia, Psmith, Narnia/Psmith crossovers, MCU, MCU/Narnia Crossovers, MCU/The Magicians Crossovers, David Blaize Crossovers
General Notes
1) While I do prefer "getting together" over "established relationship" for shippy fic, I'm not otherwise invested in the genre tags. As long as my / ships unambiguously get together or my & pairings become friends, don't worry about how well your fic fits whichever tag we matched on.
2) I'm just as--often more!--interested in watching characters deal with what comes after a prompted premise than I am in the premise itself. For example, I don't particularly care how they get to the same place and meet. Feel free to skip past that and start in media res. What I'm most interested in is what happens next--the dynamics they forge, the adventures they have, the things they learn, etc. Basically, stories that end shortly after the introductions make me sad.
Things I Always Love
— Devoted Odd Couples: having one another’s backs; enjoying one another's company; laughing at one another; fond exasperation; quietly self-sacrificial loyalty; falling in love; contrasting speech patterns
— Earning Your Happy Ending: self-help; tough love; getting over some of your baggage; finding home where you least expect it; angst with a happy ending; Groundhog Day/time loops
— Forced or Repeated Proximity: forced to share a room/bed; captured or stranded together; undercover as a couple; arranged marriage or marriage of convenience (where plausible for the setting)
— Adventures & Journeys: exploring unknown territory; daring rescues or escapes; trains; ships; hotels; vacations gone awry; fish out of water; competence and resourcefulness; high-functioning teams; badassery; laughing in the face of danger or absurdity; the pen is mightier than the sword; but swords are more fun
— Sexy Times: I'd be THRILLED to get higher rated fic for any of my / pairings! See here for general porn likes applicable to any of my ships (not just the ones listed there); or here for the more egregiously detailed version.
— Friends to Lovers: For pairings who don't canonically know each other, I'm totally fine skipping over the meet-cute and starting when they're already friends so you can focus on 'to lovers'! I love multiple approaches, especially a) 'friends with benefits' or 'sex before feelings' that becomes more, b) realizing they want more than just friendship and actually trying to do something about it, c) starting the story immediately after the first kiss/declaration, setting it during the days or weeks that follow. The relationship does change; it isn’t simply friends + sex. Working through that transition and learning new things about one another—both wonderful and irritating—that never came up before.
— Crossovers: applying skills/knowledge from one world to another world's problems; contrasting or reconciling differences in how a concept manifests across canons (ex. immortality, magic, realm hopping, time shenanigans); magic in one canon originates from another; characters coming up with logical but incorrect theories before discovering the truth; assuming characters have a past together (ex. cousins, long-lost school chums, etc) and starting the story when they reunite in the present
Do Not Wants
— romantic pairings other than the ones specifically requested; underage/overage romance
— fusions, alternate setting AUs, unrequested crossovers, goofy crack
— romantic pairings other than the ones specifically requested; poly or threesomes; multiple conflicting requested pairings (ex. Bucky/Loki and Loki/Eliot in the same fic; however, Bucky/Loki+Loki&Eliot is fine)
— fics where none of the main characters ever find out about the others' backgrounds or magic (the reveal doesn't have to happen 'on-screen', but please don't end it with everyone thinking everyone else is normal!)
— Things That Upset Me: major character death or the afterlife; bleak endings; shovel talks; hatesex, noncon, or dark dynamics in my requested ships; my ship stops liking each other; 'it was all a dream' endings
— Schmoopiness: plotless fluff; non-canonical pet names or terms of endearment; people saying "I love you" verbatim
— Sex & Relationship-Related: D/s dynamics; soulmates; poly; love triangles; yentas and matchmakers; pregnancy; adultery; characters written as ace, aro, or demi; gender identity headcanons
— Writing Things: 1st & 2nd person POV; phonetically spelled dialogue (my brain genuinely struggles to process it)
— Crossover-related: tragically unresolved lifespan incompatibilities; crossovers of more than two canons at a time; fourth wall breakage; letting real life release dates dictate character ages (I prefer moving timelines so requested characters are around the same age)
Lymond Chronicles
Pairing: Francis/Christian
I yearn for a canon divergence AU about them getting together and being okay after the first book. The first book is far and away my favorite, so I'm fine ignoring the later ones. Francis is so much more FUN in it, while still being deliciously anguished and badass. And they have so much fun together. I love their secret visits and correspondence and music. They conspire so dangerously, but at the same time, she's the only person he seems to relax around. I love how her blindness never stops her from being ridiculously capable. I love the way he understands how she wants to be treated, and quietly helps her get what she wants out of life. I love the way she keeps up with him and is largely over his shit. I love their equal amounts of self-sacrificing love for one another.
Instead of bashing or hurting Tom, please pretend their engagement amicably ended before the fic started, or the pairing never existed at all. Canon ships that don't involve Francis or Christian are fine to include in the background. I don't need a whole explanation for how Christian is still alive, unless you're excited to write about that. You can assume she recovered before the fic started, or was never injured, or they were together during her recovery, or whatever!
Prompts:
— More reputation-saving quests or diplomatic hijinks? Basically, any kind of canon-typical plot, but with the two of them working together while getting together.
— Something where magic is real. Like Johnnie Bullo's work not being a con, or druids, or selkies, or finding Avalon, or... IDK. Francis and Christian dealing with the ensuing adventure while also dealing with their feelings.
— The books skipped over the first year of Francis's reinstatement into Scottish high society. Tell me more about how that went. What if they'd gotten the formal reintroduction they had wished for?
— Undercover as a couple in France or London? Arranged marriage or marriage of convenience? Captured or stranded together? I love how forced proximity tropes push relationships forward and help them learn new things about each other--both delightful and irritating. I also adore the awkward sexual situations engendered (and resolved, please!). You can handwave the set-up!
— I loved the pseudo-scavenger hunt for the glove that Francis set up for Richard, as well as when Francis wrote to Christian via Agnes. Something involving another puzzle Francis sets up for Christian? Or vice versa? Or that they have to solve together?
Narnia
Pairings:
• Emeth/Tirian
• Edmund/Bacchus
Emeth/Tirian:
Tirian started out as not a great king, but he grew so much, and proved quite resourceful and clever once roused from his decadence. I loved the conflict Emeth faced between his reason, his duty, his devotion, and his desire to prove himself. They’re perfect for one another—brave, noble warriors, and all-around lovely guys. I want something where they get together in real life and have a happy/hopeful ending. Enemies to lovers, culture clashes, reluctant allies fall in love, secret forbidden love across enemy lines, brothers in arms, agent falls for mark, differing styles of courtly speech and manners... I love it all!
The end of Narnia, train crash, and afterlife/Aslan's Country are my biggest DNWs. Please let it be clear that they will live out their lives.
— What if they had met in Narnia while Emeth was undercover as a merchant, and their love changes the course of the story?
— We know Tirian has been to Calormen. Was it an official trip, or did he go incognito, either for fun or for espionage? Did Emeth know who Tirian was, or not? How might this change have affected the later plot? You could focus on the flashbacks, or you could assume the backstory and start the fic when they meet again later on... either way!
— Exploring differing views about same-sex romance? It doesn't have to be "Calormen=repressed, Narnia=free love" (though it could); maybe Calormen has a complicated Ancient Greek-style undercurrent, or Narnia's never shaken its Victorian influences. Or some other take?
— Canon divergence where Calormen conquered Narnia, but no apocalypse. Tirian as trophy, slave, or sacrifice to Tash? Tirian tied up and beaten was very, um, interesting to me as a child; as long as there's a hopeful ending, you can whump him as hard as you like. Does Emeth decide to help him? How do they fall in love? Do they run away together? Get arrested together? Maybe Tirian is given to Emeth as a war prisoner (with Emeth as kind and noble jailer, please!), or to someone horrible and Emeth rescues him?
— Or maybe it’s Narnia that wins the war, and Emeth who ends up as (kind and noble!) Tirian’s prisoner? Angst because hitting on your prisoner might not be honorable?
Edmund/Bacchus:
I love that being redeemed and growing into a badass and just warrior king didn't entirely cure Edmund of being a cranky, sarcastic little shit. Lifespan incompatibilities depress me, but if you can solve it, I'd be all for happily ever afters! Otherwise, I mostly ship this in a revelrous, casual way, not as a long-term monogamous relationship. Please ensure Edmund is at least 17 if/when anything more than kissing happens.
The end of Narnia, train crash, and afterlife/Aslan's Country are my biggest DNWs.
— Aslan loves everyone, but Lucy is obviously his favorite. What if Edmund is this god's special favorite? How come? Does Bacchus periodically show up to protect orfuckvisit him, maybe even without Edmund realizing it, maybe even in our world? Other ramifications of being Bacchus's fave?
— Instead of getting on the train and dying, Edmund (and Lucy, if you want, but not Peter or Susan, please) uses the rings to go on adventures to other worlds, and runs into Bacchus again.
— In mythology, Bacchus is sometimes depicted as a youth and sometimes as an adult. Does he decide at will? Or does something else cause him to shift? Separately, Aslan once gave Lucy a line about how he looked older because she was older, which... huh. Is this true for Bacchus and his faves, too? Edmund also goes back and forth in age... Basically, a shippy fic that plays with concepts around gods, time shenanigans, and age/appearance would be cool!
— Being the only humans around during their hormonal teenage years must have been hard. I'd love something in which Bacchus relieves Edmund's sexual frustration, either with direct physicality, instruction, or in other ways. Does it happen all at once when Ed goes to his first bacchanal, or is it a slow build over multiple years/visits?
— Bacchus is in charge of rites for young rulers to bond with the land or whatever. Basically, I'm looking for some sort of public and/or private virginity taking ceremony. Is Edmund excited, is it a duty he's been dreading, or something else? Is Bacchus godly and serious, or affectionate and fun? Perhaps they do it on the Stone Table? Tied down with magic vines? Ceremonial wine pouring? Holy semen? Switching? Pre-bathing by the maenads? It's not over until [your choice]? Different details of your choosing? Go all out! If you want to throw Lucy in there, too, go ahead. No drugs/aphrodisiacs, please (well, a mild wine buzz is fine, since it's Bacchus and all); I want Edmund naturally responsive and overstimulated.
Psmith - PG Wodehouse
Pairing: Psmith/Mike
Friends to lovers, please! There are prompts below, but honestly, I’ll love anything. The odd coupling of Mike’s everyman pragmatism and Psmith’s dialogue is endlessly delightful to me. I love their loyalty and what self-sacrificing heroes they both are, while also being total little shits. Who is the forward one here, or do they bumble equally in their own ways? Does either try to hide his nerves/inexperience? Or not? Or maybe one or both is actually experienced? Is Psmith so overwhelmed that he finally shuts up, or does his persiflage merely turn to this new subject? Any take would be fascinating.
I have three main asks: 1) Please set it before they met their wives and/or pretend they never did) 2) I don’t want to read about adults sexually abusing children; however, corporal or emotional abuse is fine. 3) While a little longing and hesitation are nice--and a touch of quietly understood, low-key forbiddenness does add a certain frisson--I don't want internalized homophobia, anguished coming outs, or serious discussion of social issues. Other types of angst and non-canonical darkness are fine, though, as long as it turns out okay in the end and retains some sense of humour. Can they just… get away with their romance without having to discuss at length why they’re being secretive?
Prompts:
— Getting Together: How does it happen? Is it friends with benefits, or does one actually seduce or court the other? A forced to share a bed situation? Friends with benefits that turns into more? Anything! Where do they first hook up? In the study, Psmith’s room at home or Cambridge, the bank’s brook closet, a train car…?
— Canon Divergence: What if either or both of their fathers had not gone bankrupt? What if the plan for Mike to manage Psmith's estates had happened? What if...? How do they get together in a divergence?
— What if Sedleigh was the school in Monty Python's 'The Meaning of Life'? Does John Cleese teach a gay sex lesson? Psmith and Mike studying for the exam together? Students partnered for in-class exercises? Some other direction for this?
— WWI: Fighting together, espionage missions, winning a key battle through impertinent ragging, Mike the accidental war hero, keeping one another warm in their trench, making out in a bombed out Belgian village, the desperation of war causing them to reveal long-secret pining…
— Just Add Magic: I will never tire of stories that add fantasy/scifi elements to the otherwise canonical Wodehouse world. I'm not into vampires or werewolves, but other than that, go wild! Fighting zombies? Finding a genie in a bottle? The Senior Conservative Club is full of wizards? Anything!
— Whump with a Happy Ending: Stoic woobies...yum. Maybe something traumatizing happens or has happened to Psmith, who hides his pain behind his effervescent mask... but Mike eventually figures it out and works to make it all better. Or something terrible happens to Mike, and Psmith goes above and beyond to get revenge and/or set things right.
— Crossovers: One of my favorite things is hearing Psmith's and Mike's views on and reactions to new situations and people. Hence, crossovers! See below for Narnia prompts. See here for prompts crossing these books with MCU, Game of Thrones, Lost, or Atlantis; it's set up as a mix-and-match, where you can slot Psmith/Mike into prompts for the other fandoms, or slot other characters I love into the Psmith prompts. Prompts with David Blaize are here. And with Penny Dreadful or 'My Family and Other Animals' here.
Narnia/Psmith Crossovers
Pairings:
• Rilian & Psmith & Mike
• Tirian & Psmith & Mike
• Edmund & Psmith & Mike
I'm desperate for Psmith and Mike to visit Narnia and meet one of these three characters! What are their reactions? How might they help characters there? What do the Narnians think of them? DNW: train crash, end of Narnia, afterlife/Aslan's Country, shipping Psmith or Mike with anyone but each other. I don't necessarily need to read about how these things were averted; you can just pretend it never even came up.
Please please pretend the Psmith books happened later than the publication date so that they are the same age as Edmund, or so their visit lines up with Rilian or Tirian's reigns. In the same way that Bertie’s age and world remained constant from 1910-1970, I think of the Psmith books as similarly timeless; they could just as easily have been at Sedleigh/Cambridge during WWII or later. And since we're pretending The Last Battle didn't happen (and therefore Jill and Eustace didn't come during it), the end of Silver Chair is the last date connecting the two worlds' timelines. This means you can line up whatever subsequent times you want (ex. Cambridge-Tirian's reign, or Sedleigh-a year into Rilian's reign, etc.), no explanation needed or desired.
Prompts:
— Helping Tirian nip the entire plot of TLB in the bud? Or helping him with something pre-TLB?
— Does Edmund, Rilian or Tirian blow the horn, summoning Psmith and Mike for help with a problem? Fighting giants, espionage, outwitting Calormene spies, implementing educational policies, dealing with the Rabadash situation? Something else?
— Helping Golden Age Edmund remember his previous life? Is this the only time they meet, or do they reconnect at boarding school or Cambridge?
— Helping newly crowned Rilian get settled on the throne or heal from his trauma after Jill and Eustace leave? Puddleglum and Psmith would be hilarious together.
— Or just exploring or partying with Narnian royalty in any of these eras!
— Is it Mike or Psmith's house that Edmund burgles to get the rings, resulting in them going on adventures to other realms together instead of Edmund dying? Exploring the Wood, or deserted Charn, or Westeros, or a world you make up? I'd prefer a focus on Edmund (plus Lucy, if you want), not the whole set of Friends.
— You know how Tirian astrally projected to the Friends of Narnia that one time? Well, what if he's been doing it for years with Psmith or Mike? They have always secretly thought they had an imaginary friend (or are going nuts), but one day they meet, either here or there. This prompt is an exception to my preference for non-Earth settings; set it wherever you like.
— Bonus Option: This is the one prompt where none of the requested Narnia characters have to appear (otherwise, I really want Edmund, Tirian or Rilian). It could also be done as a Game of Thrones crossover instead... Psmith and Mike blunder through a portal into the Lone Islands or somewhere in Essos (I don’t care how; you could even skip over that part), and are captured and sold into slavery. All the whump, hurt/comfort, and loyalty, please! Does Psmith secretly take Mike's beatings and/or sex duties to spare him? Or vice versa? Or are they forced to watch one another be abused? Does all this trauma get them to finally act on their feelings? Or does Psmith arrange things so that life as slaves is actually pretty good, no rape or beatings? Are they rescued by the canon emancipators? Get revenge on their master(s)? Or do they organize a Socialist revolution, so that by the time Caspian or Danaerys or whoever arrive, they find the masters already overthrown and Psmith in charge, with Mike as his confidential secretary and advisor? Some wholly other direction you want to take this? Lots of OCs are (obviously) welcome. No body modification or branding, please.
MCU
Pairing: Loki/Bucky
I think they would be amazing together, an entertainingly snarky, angsty and badass odd couple. They might be able to get each other, and/or tough love each other to a better place. You can imagine post-IW (pretending Loki doesn’t die, since I’m petrified he will) or write a extreme canon divergence that pretends away any/all movies you want. I’m not into fics where Loki spends a lot of time in Jotun form or shapeshifted into someone else, or where Bucky spends most of it brainwashed or pathetic.
Some random things: 1) I have a pet peeve about Bucky (and Steve) saying "ain't". Can they please speak as properly as they do in the films? Cursing is fine, though. 2) No Darcy or Sharon, please, and nothing from the TV shows, as I'm not familiar with them.
Prompts:
— The Convergence left wounded Loki stranded on Earth, to be found and taken in by post-TWS Bucky. What do they bond and bicker about day to day? Can Loki help Bucky's memories or triggers? Do they have adventures together?
— Steve asks Thor if Bucky can hide out on Asgard. Bucky's impression of the place and characters? Using Brooklyn street smarts to help royalty with a problem? How do he and Loki get along and get together?
— A deal or scheme or trick or dare leads to feelings?
— Forced Proximity Tropes: undercover as a couple, marriage of convenience, or stranded or captured together (in space? in an avalanche? on Lost Island? at a terrible party? Anywhere!). I'm into these tropes for the bonding and working together that results. I don't care about the set-up; handwave away.
— Bucky was also a gladiator on Sakaar (I don't care how/why he got there). He and Loki bond while trying to escape and/or stay on the good side of the Grandmaster, who enjoys them as toys, not actual people. (No genuine feelings between Bucky/GM or Loki/GM, as I think they'd see him solely as a dangerous lunatic; if there’s any sex involving him, please make it dubcon or noncon). Working together in this terrible situation helping them fall for each other? Does it get awkward because they have to hide their love from the GM?
— Externally Driven Sex Tropes: "fuck or die", "aliens/bad guys made them do it", sex pollen (affecting either or both), "only sex can break the spell", etc. But no established romantic relationship or pre-arranged consent, please; I like these tropes when they have to get through this awkward/awful situation together, and didn't know beforehand that their feelings were requited. Or maybe the experience leads one or both to realize they want more. I also adore navigating awkward mornings/days after to the getting together (you could even start after the sex to focus on this).
— Crossovers: Getting together on a crossover adventure? See here for options with Narnia, Game of Thrones, Lost, Atlantis, or Psmith; it's set up as a mix-and-match, where you can slot Bucky/Loki into prompts for the other fandoms, or slot other characters I love into the MCU prompts. Or make the MCU/Magicians prompts below about Loki/Bucky getting together in Fillory instead of with Eliot.
MCU/Narnia Crossovers
**FOR ALL: The train crash, end of Narnia, and afterlife/Aslan's country are my biggest DNWs.
Pairings:
• Bucky/Tirian
• Bucky/Rilian OR Bucky&Rilian
• Thor&Tirian
Bucky/Tirian
I started writing this one, but it was basically the relevant prompts from the Thor/Tirian and Bucky/Rilian sections below, with one of the names changed. (Bucky and Tirian notes are in the MCU and Narnia sections above.) My lack of a real section doesn't mean I want it less! I ran out of nomination slots to nominate Bucky&Tirian as well; I'd be equally happy with gen or shipfic.
Bucky/Rilian OR Bucky&Rilian
As long as I get to read about Bucky in Narnia, I will love anything! What is his reaction to everything? I think he and Rilian have great potential for mutually supportive self-help and friends to lovers. There are many parallels, what with the brainwashing and trauma chairs and being programmed to kill your friends, and bad people telling you you're crazy during the rare moments when you're actually lucid, and being lost for years... What adventures do they have together? How do they get to making out? I don't care how he gets there, and feel free to handwave the timelines (Narnia has enough time shenanigans that I'd roll with anything).
— Bucky helping Rilian during his early days on the throne (like, immediately after Jill and Eustace leave). There would be a lot for Rilian to deal with, both politically and personally. Maybe Bucky's common sense outsider perspective could help? Does Rilian spend his days pretending to be totally fine, but in private he’s actually still completely traumatized and needs Bucky to hold him or something?
— Bucky participating in the first snowfall dance or some other Narnian ritual would be lovely, all fish out of water. How does Rilian help him through it, and does it help them get together?
— You could even ignore the parallels, and have Bucky fall off the train and into Rilian's reign, or he touched the Tesseract while imprisoned with Hydra and it whisked him to Narnia, without Winter Soldier stuff ever happening to him.
— Or maybe they met before one of them got brainwashed, and years later when they meet again the other doesn't remember him (lots of angst that gets hopefully resolved by the end).
Tirian&Thor:
I love Thor to absolute distraction. He balances godly/regal gravitas and deadliness with jolliness, earnestness, gentleness, and a delightful alien weirdness. He and Tirian (character notes in Narnia section above) would be so competent and delightful and hot together. I will love anything! I ran out of nomination slots to nominate Thor/Tirian as well; I'd be equally happy with gen or shipfic.
— Narnia as a fun realm that Thor likes to visit? Either he gets the party he came for, or he ends up in an unexpected adventure.
— Instead of the Friends of Narnia, it was Thor that Tirian summoned while he was tied to the tree (or a canon divergence where he got to blow the horn instead of being captured), and together they avert Narnia's version of Ragnarok.
— Something where they fight together and learn to be less rash/better rulers together (and hook up)? Teaming up to defend their kingdoms or seal a treaty? Secret spy missions to Calormen or tackling difficult domestic policy things?
— You know how Tirian astrally projected to the Friends of Narnia that one time? Well, what if he's been doing it for years with Thor? They have always secretly thought they had an imaginary friend (or are going nuts), but one day they meet, either in Narnia or Asgard.
— What if Thor was banished to Narnia instead of to Earth or fell into Tirian's time instead of Sakaar (just pretend the timelines line up, please)? Or helps Tirian with something pre-TLB? Fighting Northern giants or drinking wine together? Or maybe it’s set pre-Thor canon, sneaking over to Narnia for some secret fun and getting stuck there or embroiled in something he wants to finish.
The Magicians/MCU Crossovers
Pairings:
• Eliot/Bucky
• Eliot/Loki
General
I love Eliot's affected and entertaining persona, the badinage underscored with melancholy, how he is badass and self-sacrificing when the situation requires, how he every so often drops the affectation to show some real vulnerability and feeling. He’s so aloof, but when he cares, he cares so much! With bonus self-destructive angst that he slowly self-helps himself through. I love how hard he tried to be a good king, after a life of pretending not to care about anything. Love! As a side note, I adore the character-specific spell casting hand choreography in this show, as well as the bizarre Fillorian cultural details.
Canon divergences branching off at any point after Eliot became king would be perfect; I’m not interested in fic set mainly on Earth. I want only the Fillory stuff to exist; no Narnia books, world or characters, please. And no meta stuff where the MCU movies exist in the Magicians world; I want everyone to be real! Character notes for Bucky and Loki are in the MCU section above. Either of them striking up a background friendship with Margo, Penny, or Quentin would be fun (they’re my favorite characters, after Eliot). Please don't let Fen or anyone be upset about Eliot's new boyfriend. No Julia, please (her plots were so triggery for so long that I still get anxious when she appears).
Eliot/Bucky
I desperately want Bucky in Fillory! I don’t care how/why/when he ends up there. Feel free to start after he’s already arrived, or even after the meet-cute. I want his reactions to Eliot and magic and the sloth and everything. Is he freaked out and/or giddily delighted? Or, like Penny, is he irritated by the place, but cares about his new friends? No sex with the doppel-banger, please; I only want the real Eliot here. If you want to make it an OT3 with Margo, I’m down for that.
The Magicians cast is all so book-smart and dependent on magic; maybe Bucky can remind them of the usefulness of 1940s common sense, brute strength, or something else? Can he help them with something magic can't? Is Eliot turned on by the arm? Maybe Eliot had the hots for 'the Winter Soldier' from watching the news, but ends up falling for 'Bucky'? Does Eliot bring out the 40s guy Bucky thought was lost? Or does he fall for Bucky’s new quietly stoic with an edge of snark personality? Does Bucky see past Eliot’s affectations, and fall for the vulnerable guy underneath?
— Canon divergence where Eliot’s magic fixes Bucky’s memories or triggers. Snark and hurt/comfort (going both ways!), etc.
— Bucky accompanying Eliot on a spy mission to a neighboring kingdom? Bonding and hooking up on the way there or afterwards?
— Or just any kind of wacky Fillorian problem, adventure or quest, with Bucky, like, “What even??”
— Sex Magic/Rituals: Maybe they need to cast a spell for some dire reason, and sex is one of the ingredients? Or a Fillorian ritual demands sex? Is it the excuse they’ve been waiting for?
— Accidental Marriage or Marriage of Convenience: Tick informs Eliot one morning that something he and Bucky did last night renders them married or now they need to get married. Are they secretly pleased, or do they have trepidations before falling for each other? Or maybe they get married to magically bond Bucky to Fillory to prevent him from being extradited, hurt or brainwashed? Is this stressful because they like one another, but this is forcing them to move a little faster than one or both was quite ready for?
— Background premises in case you’re stuck on how to get Bucky to Fillory… Maybe Bucky gets his hands on a button? Maybe Fogg gave the escaped WS sanctuary at Brakebills, and Margo brings Bucky to Fillory to help them with a problem? Or Thor knows of Fillory offers to send Bucky there for help? Or maybe Bucky coincidentally did one of the gang a favor on Earth, so they take him to Fillory to hide out/be healed?
Eliot/Loki
On a shallow note, with their similarly lanky builds, they’d look amazing together, clothed, naked, or in between. But more importantly, they would be so entertaining! Two snarky, snotty, volatile, dramatic, vulnerable, realm hopping royal magician aesthetes. I want something set in Fillory, Asgard or the Nietherlands, not Earth. As long as they end up genuinely liking one another by the end, it can start out a little tricksy or wary, or they can be into one another right away.
Optional themes to play with: Eliot, who was born a nobody, was destined to be high king, while Loki, who was born sort of doubly royal, will never truly be king of anything. Do they bring out one another's insecurities? Are they competitive with each other—about magic, intelligence, sex, everything? Is there something they can only do if they combine talents? Learning lessons about what it means to be a ruler?
— Does magic going out affect Loki, too? If so, do their efforts to investigate/repair the issue cause them to intersect on a project, forcing them to bond/ fall in love? Or are Loki’s abilities actually more godlike and therefore unaffected? If so, does Eliot negotiate a deal in order to save Fillory?
— Teaming up for a canon-divergent quest in Asgard or Fillory? Do they get captured or stranded or some other forced proximity trope?
— Loki does a lot of illusion magic (and Eliot's fond of his spell for seeing through illusions); does he want or draw power from the key from After Island? Or want some other magic thing in Fillory? Or Eliot sneaks into Asgard through a fountain in order to get a magic thingy (possibly in a canon divergence where none or only some of the MCU movies never happened)? Do they start out playing each other for ulterior motives but end up falling for one another?
— Accidental Marriage, Marriage of Convenience & Rituals: see same prompts for Bucky above
— Loki falls or is banished to Fillory in Thor 1, or falls there instead of Sakaar during Ragnarok. How do they get along and get together? Working out their personal issues by co-writing plays?
— The doppel-banger and Loki’s duplicates joining in to make it an orgy that actually consists of only two people?
David Blaize Crossovers
Character:
• Frank/Edmund (Narnia)
• Frank/Bucky (MCU)
• Frank/Thor (MCU)
• Frank/Others (Various Crossover Options)
General
Frank/Happiness is my OTP. He's such a fascinating and endearing blend of judgmental, whimsical, bossy, intellectually curious, charismatic, and melancholic. While his anguished self-loathing is super compelling, I ultimately want him to get over it (and himself, a little), without anyone explicitly lecturing him. I want him to find happiness and self-acceptance with someone new—with actual kissing, or more! Please let him get over his tragic fixation on David and be completely into the new person, without bashing David. Please set it when Frank is anywhere between 18-26 (ie. canon divergence, or shortly post-canon), so he doesn't have to wait long to be happier.
Is he very experienced, or did he barely get beyond handjobs before he renounced? He’s got an assertive and aggressive side; once he decides to give in, does a dormant part of him try to match the vigor of his partner (as opposed to simply receiving tenderness and physical satisfaction, which would be great, too)? The chapter where he devises the plan to catch the cheaters was such fun; if it fits, something that also showcases his cleverness and snark and take-chargeness in action would be lovely.
Bonus Crossover Pairing Options!:
There are a ton of people I would equally love to see Frank with, but I only had so many nomination slots. Feel free to write any of the pairings HERE instead of the officially requested ones. Please do not write the & pairings as /.
Frank/Edmund (Narnia)
Frank coming up with well-reasoned but incorrect theories to explain Edmund’s weirdness before eventually figuring it out? What is post-Narnia life like for Edmund? Is he also frustrated (sexually or otherwise)? Carrying around knowledge or experience that he can’t use? Desperate because he remembers adult relationships but has (until now) been too young/depressed/lacked opportunity/hasn’t liked anyone enough/other? Or maybe he’s actually quite inexperienced. What draws them to each other?
My biggest asks are a) for Frank to find out about Narnia/Edmund’s secret and b) pretend the David Blaize books were set later so that they are around the same age during the story. No train crash, end of Narnia, or afterlife! Just pretend he lives out his life.
— School or University: Prefects together at Marchester? Edmund being really good at sneaking out/around? Have they always liked one another, or do they start as rivals (house rivalry, sports rivalry, etc.) but end up falling for one another? Wet and full of adrenaline after a sailing race or tennis match at Cambridge?
— Golden Age: Frank finds himself in Narnia (I don’t care how; feel free to skip over that part). What are his reactions to the place? How does Edmund, who probably doesn't have a ton of attractive humans around, react to having this nice, smart, handsome Brit in the castle? Can Frank help Ed and his siblings remember their lives from before?
— Greece: Does Edmund also become an archaeologist? Or does he study something else at Cambridge that allows them to travel to Greece together? Voyages on trains or ships (and possibly stranded when the vehicle breaks down)? Finding ancient magic here on earth? Partying with Bacchus, who can be Ed's previous lover or just an old acquaintance?
— Post-Canon Adventures: I'm obsessed with Edmund using the rings to go adventuring to places other than Narnia instead of dying. Maybe it's Frank's parents' house that Edmund burgles to get the rings, and that's how they meet and go off on adventures together to the Wood Between the Worlds or not-so-dead Charn? Westeros/Essos (I only know the TV show) is another option.
Frank/Bucky (MCU)
I want them to get together during WWII, in Europe or England. Please pretend the books were set later so that they are around the same age. They’d make such a great odd couple. The Brooklyn boy/posh Brit, classical education/street smarts, etc. How do they overcome Frank’s (possibly also Bucky’s?) internalized homophobia and find something good? Is Bucky actually more experienced with men than Frank? Or has he always denied himself, and Frank initiates him?
Feel free to pretend Bucky didn’t fall off the train so they can have a happily ever after. Or maybe Frank encounters his brainwashed old flame and rescues him from Hydra in, like, 1949 (ie. before there’s a major age difference) for a hopeful ever after. Or you can make it bittersweet, with Bucky still falling, but even though he grieves, their time together has left Frank in a healthier place to live and love again without such self-loathing.
Does Frank start out initially jealous of Bucky’s friendship with Steve, because he’s projecting his own experiences with David onto Steve&Bucky? Does Bucky scoff at the idea, or is Frank correct in thinking Bucky has been pining? If the latter, I want Bucky to get over Steve completely as he and Frank fall for one another, without bashing Steve (and I want Steve to never have returned those feelings so he doesn’t get hurt). Or you could not bring up Steve/Bucky as a question or possibility at all!
— Soldiers Together: Maybe the 107th is camped alongside Frank’s unit before their capture? Sharing a foxhole together? Exploring or hiding in a bombed out village together? Left behind and forced to trek to safety together? Saving one another? Does the desperation of war get them over their issues enough to act on their feelings?
— Captives Together: Do they huddle together between torture/experimentation sessions, clinging to each other and their identities? Hurt/comfort and desperate “we’ll probably die tomorrow” hookups? Nazis humiliating them or forcing them to do it or confess feelings or watch each other be hurt? Or maybe they only get together after Steve’s rescued them, when they begin to realize something more permanent was done to them.
— Howling Commandoes: Frank as part of the gang? Getting together while using their combined smarts on a mission, either with the whole group, or a side project just for them? I’m thinking stakeouts, disguises, need for quick thinking, getting information at a party, stranded in a snowy cabin, down time at a pub… anything!
— Spies or Missions: Or maybe Frank isn’t a soldier, but rather some sort of archaeologist/explorer civilian who is asked to use his knowledge to help the war effort. Maybe Hitler’s after some Ancient Greek occult blah blah? The SSR partners Frank and Bucky for the mission.
Frank/Thor (MCU)
I love Thor to absolute distraction. He balances godly/regal gravitas and deadliness with jolliness, earnestness, gentleness, and a delightful alien weirdness. He would be such a fascinating foil for Frank's complicated temperament, and just generally, it would be boiling hot. Please let Frank find out who/what Thor is!
What is Frank’s reaction to this literal fairytale prince? Thor’s reaction to this lovely but sad earthling? How do they get along and get together? It can be forever love (if so, please handwave a mention of magical solutions to the lifespan issues), or a fling that ends amicably when Thor has to go home again, leaving Frank in a healthier and happier headspace to continue on with the rest of his life, both of them retaining fond memories of their time together.
— Does Thor carefully, joyfully, overwhelmingly seduce and fuck Frank’s repression away? Like, not even Frank’s dedicated self-denial can hold strong. And if an actual god is so into it/him, who is Frank to say this is ‘beastly’ or wrong?
— Or, maybe it’s set pre-Thor 1, and Thor was actually rather inexperienced (with men, or in general), and they learn together, or Frank initiates him.
— Are Asgardians nonchalantly bisexual? If so, how does Thor react to Frank’s repression? Or do Asgardians have their own hangups? If so, how do their different hangups intersect and how do they get over them together?
—Earth Setting: A canon divergence where Thor was banished to Frank’s time and location, whether Cambridge or Frank’s backyard or one of his archaeology digs? Or maybe Thor landed here/then during Ragnarok instead of Sakaar. Or maybe it’s set pre-Thor canon, when he snuck over to Earth for some secret fun and got stuck here (or Loki played a prank that got him stuck here)?
— Greece Setting: I love that Frank is an archaeologist! Maybe during one of his digs, he stumbles into an ancient place and accidentally sets off a magical thingy that summons gods, except a different set than expected. Or some wholly other reason for Thor being in Greece? I don’t actually care how Thor gets there; feel free to skip over that part.
— Disguised/Fish Out of Water: Thor trying to blend into 1920s Cambridge, or a Wodehouse-style club, or with Frank’s family... What do Frank’s friends make of Thor? What does Thor make of everything? How does Thor take to having to keep their relationship on the DL? Is he even capable of it?
— Random Optional Details: Thor using Mjolnir to fly Frank somewhere gorgeously remote; switching; spanking
I'm trying to wrangle my letters back to a saner length, but I don't think it worked, so here are anchor links to the different sections:
Lymond Chronicles, Narnia, Psmith, Narnia/Psmith crossovers, MCU, MCU/Narnia Crossovers, MCU/The Magicians Crossovers, David Blaize Crossovers
General Notes
1) While I do prefer "getting together" over "established relationship" for shippy fic, I'm not otherwise invested in the genre tags. As long as my / ships unambiguously get together or my & pairings become friends, don't worry about how well your fic fits whichever tag we matched on.
2) I'm just as--often more!--interested in watching characters deal with what comes after a prompted premise than I am in the premise itself. For example, I don't particularly care how they get to the same place and meet. Feel free to skip past that and start in media res. What I'm most interested in is what happens next--the dynamics they forge, the adventures they have, the things they learn, etc. Basically, stories that end shortly after the introductions make me sad.
Things I Always Love
— Devoted Odd Couples: having one another’s backs; enjoying one another's company; laughing at one another; fond exasperation; quietly self-sacrificial loyalty; falling in love; contrasting speech patterns
— Earning Your Happy Ending: self-help; tough love; getting over some of your baggage; finding home where you least expect it; angst with a happy ending; Groundhog Day/time loops
— Forced or Repeated Proximity: forced to share a room/bed; captured or stranded together; undercover as a couple; arranged marriage or marriage of convenience (where plausible for the setting)
— Adventures & Journeys: exploring unknown territory; daring rescues or escapes; trains; ships; hotels; vacations gone awry; fish out of water; competence and resourcefulness; high-functioning teams; badassery; laughing in the face of danger or absurdity; the pen is mightier than the sword; but swords are more fun
— Sexy Times: I'd be THRILLED to get higher rated fic for any of my / pairings! See here for general porn likes applicable to any of my ships (not just the ones listed there); or here for the more egregiously detailed version.
— Friends to Lovers: For pairings who don't canonically know each other, I'm totally fine skipping over the meet-cute and starting when they're already friends so you can focus on 'to lovers'! I love multiple approaches, especially a) 'friends with benefits' or 'sex before feelings' that becomes more, b) realizing they want more than just friendship and actually trying to do something about it, c) starting the story immediately after the first kiss/declaration, setting it during the days or weeks that follow. The relationship does change; it isn’t simply friends + sex. Working through that transition and learning new things about one another—both wonderful and irritating—that never came up before.
— Crossovers: applying skills/knowledge from one world to another world's problems; contrasting or reconciling differences in how a concept manifests across canons (ex. immortality, magic, realm hopping, time shenanigans); magic in one canon originates from another; characters coming up with logical but incorrect theories before discovering the truth; assuming characters have a past together (ex. cousins, long-lost school chums, etc) and starting the story when they reunite in the present
Do Not Wants
— romantic pairings other than the ones specifically requested; underage/overage romance
— fusions, alternate setting AUs, unrequested crossovers, goofy crack
— romantic pairings other than the ones specifically requested; poly or threesomes; multiple conflicting requested pairings (ex. Bucky/Loki and Loki/Eliot in the same fic; however, Bucky/Loki+Loki&Eliot is fine)
— fics where none of the main characters ever find out about the others' backgrounds or magic (the reveal doesn't have to happen 'on-screen', but please don't end it with everyone thinking everyone else is normal!)
— Things That Upset Me: major character death or the afterlife; bleak endings; shovel talks; hatesex, noncon, or dark dynamics in my requested ships; my ship stops liking each other; 'it was all a dream' endings
— Schmoopiness: plotless fluff; non-canonical pet names or terms of endearment; people saying "I love you" verbatim
— Sex & Relationship-Related: D/s dynamics; soulmates; poly; love triangles; yentas and matchmakers; pregnancy; adultery; characters written as ace, aro, or demi; gender identity headcanons
— Writing Things: 1st & 2nd person POV; phonetically spelled dialogue (my brain genuinely struggles to process it)
— Crossover-related: tragically unresolved lifespan incompatibilities; crossovers of more than two canons at a time; fourth wall breakage; letting real life release dates dictate character ages (I prefer moving timelines so requested characters are around the same age)
Lymond Chronicles
Pairing: Francis/Christian
I yearn for a canon divergence AU about them getting together and being okay after the first book. The first book is far and away my favorite, so I'm fine ignoring the later ones. Francis is so much more FUN in it, while still being deliciously anguished and badass. And they have so much fun together. I love their secret visits and correspondence and music. They conspire so dangerously, but at the same time, she's the only person he seems to relax around. I love how her blindness never stops her from being ridiculously capable. I love the way he understands how she wants to be treated, and quietly helps her get what she wants out of life. I love the way she keeps up with him and is largely over his shit. I love their equal amounts of self-sacrificing love for one another.
Instead of bashing or hurting Tom, please pretend their engagement amicably ended before the fic started, or the pairing never existed at all. Canon ships that don't involve Francis or Christian are fine to include in the background. I don't need a whole explanation for how Christian is still alive, unless you're excited to write about that. You can assume she recovered before the fic started, or was never injured, or they were together during her recovery, or whatever!
Prompts:
— More reputation-saving quests or diplomatic hijinks? Basically, any kind of canon-typical plot, but with the two of them working together while getting together.
— Something where magic is real. Like Johnnie Bullo's work not being a con, or druids, or selkies, or finding Avalon, or... IDK. Francis and Christian dealing with the ensuing adventure while also dealing with their feelings.
— The books skipped over the first year of Francis's reinstatement into Scottish high society. Tell me more about how that went. What if they'd gotten the formal reintroduction they had wished for?
— Undercover as a couple in France or London? Arranged marriage or marriage of convenience? Captured or stranded together? I love how forced proximity tropes push relationships forward and help them learn new things about each other--both delightful and irritating. I also adore the awkward sexual situations engendered (and resolved, please!). You can handwave the set-up!
— I loved the pseudo-scavenger hunt for the glove that Francis set up for Richard, as well as when Francis wrote to Christian via Agnes. Something involving another puzzle Francis sets up for Christian? Or vice versa? Or that they have to solve together?
Narnia
Pairings:
• Emeth/Tirian
• Edmund/Bacchus
Emeth/Tirian:
Tirian started out as not a great king, but he grew so much, and proved quite resourceful and clever once roused from his decadence. I loved the conflict Emeth faced between his reason, his duty, his devotion, and his desire to prove himself. They’re perfect for one another—brave, noble warriors, and all-around lovely guys. I want something where they get together in real life and have a happy/hopeful ending. Enemies to lovers, culture clashes, reluctant allies fall in love, secret forbidden love across enemy lines, brothers in arms, agent falls for mark, differing styles of courtly speech and manners... I love it all!
The end of Narnia, train crash, and afterlife/Aslan's Country are my biggest DNWs. Please let it be clear that they will live out their lives.
— What if they had met in Narnia while Emeth was undercover as a merchant, and their love changes the course of the story?
— We know Tirian has been to Calormen. Was it an official trip, or did he go incognito, either for fun or for espionage? Did Emeth know who Tirian was, or not? How might this change have affected the later plot? You could focus on the flashbacks, or you could assume the backstory and start the fic when they meet again later on... either way!
— Exploring differing views about same-sex romance? It doesn't have to be "Calormen=repressed, Narnia=free love" (though it could); maybe Calormen has a complicated Ancient Greek-style undercurrent, or Narnia's never shaken its Victorian influences. Or some other take?
— Canon divergence where Calormen conquered Narnia, but no apocalypse. Tirian as trophy, slave, or sacrifice to Tash? Tirian tied up and beaten was very, um, interesting to me as a child; as long as there's a hopeful ending, you can whump him as hard as you like. Does Emeth decide to help him? How do they fall in love? Do they run away together? Get arrested together? Maybe Tirian is given to Emeth as a war prisoner (with Emeth as kind and noble jailer, please!), or to someone horrible and Emeth rescues him?
— Or maybe it’s Narnia that wins the war, and Emeth who ends up as (kind and noble!) Tirian’s prisoner? Angst because hitting on your prisoner might not be honorable?
Edmund/Bacchus:
I love that being redeemed and growing into a badass and just warrior king didn't entirely cure Edmund of being a cranky, sarcastic little shit. Lifespan incompatibilities depress me, but if you can solve it, I'd be all for happily ever afters! Otherwise, I mostly ship this in a revelrous, casual way, not as a long-term monogamous relationship. Please ensure Edmund is at least 17 if/when anything more than kissing happens.
The end of Narnia, train crash, and afterlife/Aslan's Country are my biggest DNWs.
— Aslan loves everyone, but Lucy is obviously his favorite. What if Edmund is this god's special favorite? How come? Does Bacchus periodically show up to protect or
— Instead of getting on the train and dying, Edmund (and Lucy, if you want, but not Peter or Susan, please) uses the rings to go on adventures to other worlds, and runs into Bacchus again.
— In mythology, Bacchus is sometimes depicted as a youth and sometimes as an adult. Does he decide at will? Or does something else cause him to shift? Separately, Aslan once gave Lucy a line about how he looked older because she was older, which... huh. Is this true for Bacchus and his faves, too? Edmund also goes back and forth in age... Basically, a shippy fic that plays with concepts around gods, time shenanigans, and age/appearance would be cool!
— Being the only humans around during their hormonal teenage years must have been hard. I'd love something in which Bacchus relieves Edmund's sexual frustration, either with direct physicality, instruction, or in other ways. Does it happen all at once when Ed goes to his first bacchanal, or is it a slow build over multiple years/visits?
— Bacchus is in charge of rites for young rulers to bond with the land or whatever. Basically, I'm looking for some sort of public and/or private virginity taking ceremony. Is Edmund excited, is it a duty he's been dreading, or something else? Is Bacchus godly and serious, or affectionate and fun? Perhaps they do it on the Stone Table? Tied down with magic vines? Ceremonial wine pouring? Holy semen? Switching? Pre-bathing by the maenads? It's not over until [your choice]? Different details of your choosing? Go all out! If you want to throw Lucy in there, too, go ahead. No drugs/aphrodisiacs, please (well, a mild wine buzz is fine, since it's Bacchus and all); I want Edmund naturally responsive and overstimulated.
Psmith - PG Wodehouse
Pairing: Psmith/Mike
Friends to lovers, please! There are prompts below, but honestly, I’ll love anything. The odd coupling of Mike’s everyman pragmatism and Psmith’s dialogue is endlessly delightful to me. I love their loyalty and what self-sacrificing heroes they both are, while also being total little shits. Who is the forward one here, or do they bumble equally in their own ways? Does either try to hide his nerves/inexperience? Or not? Or maybe one or both is actually experienced? Is Psmith so overwhelmed that he finally shuts up, or does his persiflage merely turn to this new subject? Any take would be fascinating.
I have three main asks: 1) Please set it before they met their wives and/or pretend they never did) 2) I don’t want to read about adults sexually abusing children; however, corporal or emotional abuse is fine. 3) While a little longing and hesitation are nice--and a touch of quietly understood, low-key forbiddenness does add a certain frisson--I don't want internalized homophobia, anguished coming outs, or serious discussion of social issues. Other types of angst and non-canonical darkness are fine, though, as long as it turns out okay in the end and retains some sense of humour. Can they just… get away with their romance without having to discuss at length why they’re being secretive?
Prompts:
— Getting Together: How does it happen? Is it friends with benefits, or does one actually seduce or court the other? A forced to share a bed situation? Friends with benefits that turns into more? Anything! Where do they first hook up? In the study, Psmith’s room at home or Cambridge, the bank’s brook closet, a train car…?
— Canon Divergence: What if either or both of their fathers had not gone bankrupt? What if the plan for Mike to manage Psmith's estates had happened? What if...? How do they get together in a divergence?
— What if Sedleigh was the school in Monty Python's 'The Meaning of Life'? Does John Cleese teach a gay sex lesson? Psmith and Mike studying for the exam together? Students partnered for in-class exercises? Some other direction for this?
— WWI: Fighting together, espionage missions, winning a key battle through impertinent ragging, Mike the accidental war hero, keeping one another warm in their trench, making out in a bombed out Belgian village, the desperation of war causing them to reveal long-secret pining…
— Just Add Magic: I will never tire of stories that add fantasy/scifi elements to the otherwise canonical Wodehouse world. I'm not into vampires or werewolves, but other than that, go wild! Fighting zombies? Finding a genie in a bottle? The Senior Conservative Club is full of wizards? Anything!
— Whump with a Happy Ending: Stoic woobies...yum. Maybe something traumatizing happens or has happened to Psmith, who hides his pain behind his effervescent mask... but Mike eventually figures it out and works to make it all better. Or something terrible happens to Mike, and Psmith goes above and beyond to get revenge and/or set things right.
— Crossovers: One of my favorite things is hearing Psmith's and Mike's views on and reactions to new situations and people. Hence, crossovers! See below for Narnia prompts. See here for prompts crossing these books with MCU, Game of Thrones, Lost, or Atlantis; it's set up as a mix-and-match, where you can slot Psmith/Mike into prompts for the other fandoms, or slot other characters I love into the Psmith prompts. Prompts with David Blaize are here. And with Penny Dreadful or 'My Family and Other Animals' here.
Narnia/Psmith Crossovers
Pairings:
• Rilian & Psmith & Mike
• Tirian & Psmith & Mike
• Edmund & Psmith & Mike
I'm desperate for Psmith and Mike to visit Narnia and meet one of these three characters! What are their reactions? How might they help characters there? What do the Narnians think of them? DNW: train crash, end of Narnia, afterlife/Aslan's Country, shipping Psmith or Mike with anyone but each other. I don't necessarily need to read about how these things were averted; you can just pretend it never even came up.
Please please pretend the Psmith books happened later than the publication date so that they are the same age as Edmund, or so their visit lines up with Rilian or Tirian's reigns. In the same way that Bertie’s age and world remained constant from 1910-1970, I think of the Psmith books as similarly timeless; they could just as easily have been at Sedleigh/Cambridge during WWII or later. And since we're pretending The Last Battle didn't happen (and therefore Jill and Eustace didn't come during it), the end of Silver Chair is the last date connecting the two worlds' timelines. This means you can line up whatever subsequent times you want (ex. Cambridge-Tirian's reign, or Sedleigh-a year into Rilian's reign, etc.), no explanation needed or desired.
Prompts:
— Helping Tirian nip the entire plot of TLB in the bud? Or helping him with something pre-TLB?
— Does Edmund, Rilian or Tirian blow the horn, summoning Psmith and Mike for help with a problem? Fighting giants, espionage, outwitting Calormene spies, implementing educational policies, dealing with the Rabadash situation? Something else?
— Helping Golden Age Edmund remember his previous life? Is this the only time they meet, or do they reconnect at boarding school or Cambridge?
— Helping newly crowned Rilian get settled on the throne or heal from his trauma after Jill and Eustace leave? Puddleglum and Psmith would be hilarious together.
— Or just exploring or partying with Narnian royalty in any of these eras!
— Is it Mike or Psmith's house that Edmund burgles to get the rings, resulting in them going on adventures to other realms together instead of Edmund dying? Exploring the Wood, or deserted Charn, or Westeros, or a world you make up? I'd prefer a focus on Edmund (plus Lucy, if you want), not the whole set of Friends.
— You know how Tirian astrally projected to the Friends of Narnia that one time? Well, what if he's been doing it for years with Psmith or Mike? They have always secretly thought they had an imaginary friend (or are going nuts), but one day they meet, either here or there. This prompt is an exception to my preference for non-Earth settings; set it wherever you like.
— Bonus Option: This is the one prompt where none of the requested Narnia characters have to appear (otherwise, I really want Edmund, Tirian or Rilian). It could also be done as a Game of Thrones crossover instead... Psmith and Mike blunder through a portal into the Lone Islands or somewhere in Essos (I don’t care how; you could even skip over that part), and are captured and sold into slavery. All the whump, hurt/comfort, and loyalty, please! Does Psmith secretly take Mike's beatings and/or sex duties to spare him? Or vice versa? Or are they forced to watch one another be abused? Does all this trauma get them to finally act on their feelings? Or does Psmith arrange things so that life as slaves is actually pretty good, no rape or beatings? Are they rescued by the canon emancipators? Get revenge on their master(s)? Or do they organize a Socialist revolution, so that by the time Caspian or Danaerys or whoever arrive, they find the masters already overthrown and Psmith in charge, with Mike as his confidential secretary and advisor? Some wholly other direction you want to take this? Lots of OCs are (obviously) welcome. No body modification or branding, please.
MCU
Pairing: Loki/Bucky
I think they would be amazing together, an entertainingly snarky, angsty and badass odd couple. They might be able to get each other, and/or tough love each other to a better place. You can imagine post-IW (pretending Loki doesn’t die, since I’m petrified he will) or write a extreme canon divergence that pretends away any/all movies you want. I’m not into fics where Loki spends a lot of time in Jotun form or shapeshifted into someone else, or where Bucky spends most of it brainwashed or pathetic.
Some random things: 1) I have a pet peeve about Bucky (and Steve) saying "ain't". Can they please speak as properly as they do in the films? Cursing is fine, though. 2) No Darcy or Sharon, please, and nothing from the TV shows, as I'm not familiar with them.
Prompts:
— The Convergence left wounded Loki stranded on Earth, to be found and taken in by post-TWS Bucky. What do they bond and bicker about day to day? Can Loki help Bucky's memories or triggers? Do they have adventures together?
— Steve asks Thor if Bucky can hide out on Asgard. Bucky's impression of the place and characters? Using Brooklyn street smarts to help royalty with a problem? How do he and Loki get along and get together?
— A deal or scheme or trick or dare leads to feelings?
— Forced Proximity Tropes: undercover as a couple, marriage of convenience, or stranded or captured together (in space? in an avalanche? on Lost Island? at a terrible party? Anywhere!). I'm into these tropes for the bonding and working together that results. I don't care about the set-up; handwave away.
— Bucky was also a gladiator on Sakaar (I don't care how/why he got there). He and Loki bond while trying to escape and/or stay on the good side of the Grandmaster, who enjoys them as toys, not actual people. (No genuine feelings between Bucky/GM or Loki/GM, as I think they'd see him solely as a dangerous lunatic; if there’s any sex involving him, please make it dubcon or noncon). Working together in this terrible situation helping them fall for each other? Does it get awkward because they have to hide their love from the GM?
— Externally Driven Sex Tropes: "fuck or die", "aliens/bad guys made them do it", sex pollen (affecting either or both), "only sex can break the spell", etc. But no established romantic relationship or pre-arranged consent, please; I like these tropes when they have to get through this awkward/awful situation together, and didn't know beforehand that their feelings were requited. Or maybe the experience leads one or both to realize they want more. I also adore navigating awkward mornings/days after to the getting together (you could even start after the sex to focus on this).
— Crossovers: Getting together on a crossover adventure? See here for options with Narnia, Game of Thrones, Lost, Atlantis, or Psmith; it's set up as a mix-and-match, where you can slot Bucky/Loki into prompts for the other fandoms, or slot other characters I love into the MCU prompts. Or make the MCU/Magicians prompts below about Loki/Bucky getting together in Fillory instead of with Eliot.
MCU/Narnia Crossovers
**FOR ALL: The train crash, end of Narnia, and afterlife/Aslan's country are my biggest DNWs.
Pairings:
• Bucky/Tirian
• Bucky/Rilian OR Bucky&Rilian
• Thor&Tirian
Bucky/Tirian
I started writing this one, but it was basically the relevant prompts from the Thor/Tirian and Bucky/Rilian sections below, with one of the names changed. (Bucky and Tirian notes are in the MCU and Narnia sections above.) My lack of a real section doesn't mean I want it less! I ran out of nomination slots to nominate Bucky&Tirian as well; I'd be equally happy with gen or shipfic.
Bucky/Rilian OR Bucky&Rilian
As long as I get to read about Bucky in Narnia, I will love anything! What is his reaction to everything? I think he and Rilian have great potential for mutually supportive self-help and friends to lovers. There are many parallels, what with the brainwashing and trauma chairs and being programmed to kill your friends, and bad people telling you you're crazy during the rare moments when you're actually lucid, and being lost for years... What adventures do they have together? How do they get to making out? I don't care how he gets there, and feel free to handwave the timelines (Narnia has enough time shenanigans that I'd roll with anything).
— Bucky helping Rilian during his early days on the throne (like, immediately after Jill and Eustace leave). There would be a lot for Rilian to deal with, both politically and personally. Maybe Bucky's common sense outsider perspective could help? Does Rilian spend his days pretending to be totally fine, but in private he’s actually still completely traumatized and needs Bucky to hold him or something?
— Bucky participating in the first snowfall dance or some other Narnian ritual would be lovely, all fish out of water. How does Rilian help him through it, and does it help them get together?
— You could even ignore the parallels, and have Bucky fall off the train and into Rilian's reign, or he touched the Tesseract while imprisoned with Hydra and it whisked him to Narnia, without Winter Soldier stuff ever happening to him.
— Or maybe they met before one of them got brainwashed, and years later when they meet again the other doesn't remember him (lots of angst that gets hopefully resolved by the end).
Tirian&Thor:
I love Thor to absolute distraction. He balances godly/regal gravitas and deadliness with jolliness, earnestness, gentleness, and a delightful alien weirdness. He and Tirian (character notes in Narnia section above) would be so competent and delightful and hot together. I will love anything! I ran out of nomination slots to nominate Thor/Tirian as well; I'd be equally happy with gen or shipfic.
— Narnia as a fun realm that Thor likes to visit? Either he gets the party he came for, or he ends up in an unexpected adventure.
— Instead of the Friends of Narnia, it was Thor that Tirian summoned while he was tied to the tree (or a canon divergence where he got to blow the horn instead of being captured), and together they avert Narnia's version of Ragnarok.
— Something where they fight together and learn to be less rash/better rulers together (and hook up)? Teaming up to defend their kingdoms or seal a treaty? Secret spy missions to Calormen or tackling difficult domestic policy things?
— You know how Tirian astrally projected to the Friends of Narnia that one time? Well, what if he's been doing it for years with Thor? They have always secretly thought they had an imaginary friend (or are going nuts), but one day they meet, either in Narnia or Asgard.
— What if Thor was banished to Narnia instead of to Earth or fell into Tirian's time instead of Sakaar (just pretend the timelines line up, please)? Or helps Tirian with something pre-TLB? Fighting Northern giants or drinking wine together? Or maybe it’s set pre-Thor canon, sneaking over to Narnia for some secret fun and getting stuck there or embroiled in something he wants to finish.
The Magicians/MCU Crossovers
Pairings:
• Eliot/Bucky
• Eliot/Loki
General
I love Eliot's affected and entertaining persona, the badinage underscored with melancholy, how he is badass and self-sacrificing when the situation requires, how he every so often drops the affectation to show some real vulnerability and feeling. He’s so aloof, but when he cares, he cares so much! With bonus self-destructive angst that he slowly self-helps himself through. I love how hard he tried to be a good king, after a life of pretending not to care about anything. Love! As a side note, I adore the character-specific spell casting hand choreography in this show, as well as the bizarre Fillorian cultural details.
Canon divergences branching off at any point after Eliot became king would be perfect; I’m not interested in fic set mainly on Earth. I want only the Fillory stuff to exist; no Narnia books, world or characters, please. And no meta stuff where the MCU movies exist in the Magicians world; I want everyone to be real! Character notes for Bucky and Loki are in the MCU section above. Either of them striking up a background friendship with Margo, Penny, or Quentin would be fun (they’re my favorite characters, after Eliot). Please don't let Fen or anyone be upset about Eliot's new boyfriend. No Julia, please (her plots were so triggery for so long that I still get anxious when she appears).
Eliot/Bucky
I desperately want Bucky in Fillory! I don’t care how/why/when he ends up there. Feel free to start after he’s already arrived, or even after the meet-cute. I want his reactions to Eliot and magic and the sloth and everything. Is he freaked out and/or giddily delighted? Or, like Penny, is he irritated by the place, but cares about his new friends? No sex with the doppel-banger, please; I only want the real Eliot here. If you want to make it an OT3 with Margo, I’m down for that.
The Magicians cast is all so book-smart and dependent on magic; maybe Bucky can remind them of the usefulness of 1940s common sense, brute strength, or something else? Can he help them with something magic can't? Is Eliot turned on by the arm? Maybe Eliot had the hots for 'the Winter Soldier' from watching the news, but ends up falling for 'Bucky'? Does Eliot bring out the 40s guy Bucky thought was lost? Or does he fall for Bucky’s new quietly stoic with an edge of snark personality? Does Bucky see past Eliot’s affectations, and fall for the vulnerable guy underneath?
— Canon divergence where Eliot’s magic fixes Bucky’s memories or triggers. Snark and hurt/comfort (going both ways!), etc.
— Bucky accompanying Eliot on a spy mission to a neighboring kingdom? Bonding and hooking up on the way there or afterwards?
— Or just any kind of wacky Fillorian problem, adventure or quest, with Bucky, like, “What even??”
— Sex Magic/Rituals: Maybe they need to cast a spell for some dire reason, and sex is one of the ingredients? Or a Fillorian ritual demands sex? Is it the excuse they’ve been waiting for?
— Accidental Marriage or Marriage of Convenience: Tick informs Eliot one morning that something he and Bucky did last night renders them married or now they need to get married. Are they secretly pleased, or do they have trepidations before falling for each other? Or maybe they get married to magically bond Bucky to Fillory to prevent him from being extradited, hurt or brainwashed? Is this stressful because they like one another, but this is forcing them to move a little faster than one or both was quite ready for?
— Background premises in case you’re stuck on how to get Bucky to Fillory… Maybe Bucky gets his hands on a button? Maybe Fogg gave the escaped WS sanctuary at Brakebills, and Margo brings Bucky to Fillory to help them with a problem? Or Thor knows of Fillory offers to send Bucky there for help? Or maybe Bucky coincidentally did one of the gang a favor on Earth, so they take him to Fillory to hide out/be healed?
Eliot/Loki
On a shallow note, with their similarly lanky builds, they’d look amazing together, clothed, naked, or in between. But more importantly, they would be so entertaining! Two snarky, snotty, volatile, dramatic, vulnerable, realm hopping royal magician aesthetes. I want something set in Fillory, Asgard or the Nietherlands, not Earth. As long as they end up genuinely liking one another by the end, it can start out a little tricksy or wary, or they can be into one another right away.
Optional themes to play with: Eliot, who was born a nobody, was destined to be high king, while Loki, who was born sort of doubly royal, will never truly be king of anything. Do they bring out one another's insecurities? Are they competitive with each other—about magic, intelligence, sex, everything? Is there something they can only do if they combine talents? Learning lessons about what it means to be a ruler?
— Does magic going out affect Loki, too? If so, do their efforts to investigate/repair the issue cause them to intersect on a project, forcing them to bond/ fall in love? Or are Loki’s abilities actually more godlike and therefore unaffected? If so, does Eliot negotiate a deal in order to save Fillory?
— Teaming up for a canon-divergent quest in Asgard or Fillory? Do they get captured or stranded or some other forced proximity trope?
— Loki does a lot of illusion magic (and Eliot's fond of his spell for seeing through illusions); does he want or draw power from the key from After Island? Or want some other magic thing in Fillory? Or Eliot sneaks into Asgard through a fountain in order to get a magic thingy (possibly in a canon divergence where none or only some of the MCU movies never happened)? Do they start out playing each other for ulterior motives but end up falling for one another?
— Accidental Marriage, Marriage of Convenience & Rituals: see same prompts for Bucky above
— Loki falls or is banished to Fillory in Thor 1, or falls there instead of Sakaar during Ragnarok. How do they get along and get together? Working out their personal issues by co-writing plays?
— The doppel-banger and Loki’s duplicates joining in to make it an orgy that actually consists of only two people?
David Blaize Crossovers
Character:
• Frank/Edmund (Narnia)
• Frank/Bucky (MCU)
• Frank/Thor (MCU)
• Frank/Others (Various Crossover Options)
General
Frank/Happiness is my OTP. He's such a fascinating and endearing blend of judgmental, whimsical, bossy, intellectually curious, charismatic, and melancholic. While his anguished self-loathing is super compelling, I ultimately want him to get over it (and himself, a little), without anyone explicitly lecturing him. I want him to find happiness and self-acceptance with someone new—with actual kissing, or more! Please let him get over his tragic fixation on David and be completely into the new person, without bashing David. Please set it when Frank is anywhere between 18-26 (ie. canon divergence, or shortly post-canon), so he doesn't have to wait long to be happier.
Is he very experienced, or did he barely get beyond handjobs before he renounced? He’s got an assertive and aggressive side; once he decides to give in, does a dormant part of him try to match the vigor of his partner (as opposed to simply receiving tenderness and physical satisfaction, which would be great, too)? The chapter where he devises the plan to catch the cheaters was such fun; if it fits, something that also showcases his cleverness and snark and take-chargeness in action would be lovely.
Bonus Crossover Pairing Options!:
There are a ton of people I would equally love to see Frank with, but I only had so many nomination slots. Feel free to write any of the pairings HERE instead of the officially requested ones. Please do not write the & pairings as /.
Frank/Edmund (Narnia)
Frank coming up with well-reasoned but incorrect theories to explain Edmund’s weirdness before eventually figuring it out? What is post-Narnia life like for Edmund? Is he also frustrated (sexually or otherwise)? Carrying around knowledge or experience that he can’t use? Desperate because he remembers adult relationships but has (until now) been too young/depressed/lacked opportunity/hasn’t liked anyone enough/other? Or maybe he’s actually quite inexperienced. What draws them to each other?
My biggest asks are a) for Frank to find out about Narnia/Edmund’s secret and b) pretend the David Blaize books were set later so that they are around the same age during the story. No train crash, end of Narnia, or afterlife! Just pretend he lives out his life.
— School or University: Prefects together at Marchester? Edmund being really good at sneaking out/around? Have they always liked one another, or do they start as rivals (house rivalry, sports rivalry, etc.) but end up falling for one another? Wet and full of adrenaline after a sailing race or tennis match at Cambridge?
— Golden Age: Frank finds himself in Narnia (I don’t care how; feel free to skip over that part). What are his reactions to the place? How does Edmund, who probably doesn't have a ton of attractive humans around, react to having this nice, smart, handsome Brit in the castle? Can Frank help Ed and his siblings remember their lives from before?
— Greece: Does Edmund also become an archaeologist? Or does he study something else at Cambridge that allows them to travel to Greece together? Voyages on trains or ships (and possibly stranded when the vehicle breaks down)? Finding ancient magic here on earth? Partying with Bacchus, who can be Ed's previous lover or just an old acquaintance?
— Post-Canon Adventures: I'm obsessed with Edmund using the rings to go adventuring to places other than Narnia instead of dying. Maybe it's Frank's parents' house that Edmund burgles to get the rings, and that's how they meet and go off on adventures together to the Wood Between the Worlds or not-so-dead Charn? Westeros/Essos (I only know the TV show) is another option.
Frank/Bucky (MCU)
I want them to get together during WWII, in Europe or England. Please pretend the books were set later so that they are around the same age. They’d make such a great odd couple. The Brooklyn boy/posh Brit, classical education/street smarts, etc. How do they overcome Frank’s (possibly also Bucky’s?) internalized homophobia and find something good? Is Bucky actually more experienced with men than Frank? Or has he always denied himself, and Frank initiates him?
Feel free to pretend Bucky didn’t fall off the train so they can have a happily ever after. Or maybe Frank encounters his brainwashed old flame and rescues him from Hydra in, like, 1949 (ie. before there’s a major age difference) for a hopeful ever after. Or you can make it bittersweet, with Bucky still falling, but even though he grieves, their time together has left Frank in a healthier place to live and love again without such self-loathing.
Does Frank start out initially jealous of Bucky’s friendship with Steve, because he’s projecting his own experiences with David onto Steve&Bucky? Does Bucky scoff at the idea, or is Frank correct in thinking Bucky has been pining? If the latter, I want Bucky to get over Steve completely as he and Frank fall for one another, without bashing Steve (and I want Steve to never have returned those feelings so he doesn’t get hurt). Or you could not bring up Steve/Bucky as a question or possibility at all!
— Soldiers Together: Maybe the 107th is camped alongside Frank’s unit before their capture? Sharing a foxhole together? Exploring or hiding in a bombed out village together? Left behind and forced to trek to safety together? Saving one another? Does the desperation of war get them over their issues enough to act on their feelings?
— Captives Together: Do they huddle together between torture/experimentation sessions, clinging to each other and their identities? Hurt/comfort and desperate “we’ll probably die tomorrow” hookups? Nazis humiliating them or forcing them to do it or confess feelings or watch each other be hurt? Or maybe they only get together after Steve’s rescued them, when they begin to realize something more permanent was done to them.
— Howling Commandoes: Frank as part of the gang? Getting together while using their combined smarts on a mission, either with the whole group, or a side project just for them? I’m thinking stakeouts, disguises, need for quick thinking, getting information at a party, stranded in a snowy cabin, down time at a pub… anything!
— Spies or Missions: Or maybe Frank isn’t a soldier, but rather some sort of archaeologist/explorer civilian who is asked to use his knowledge to help the war effort. Maybe Hitler’s after some Ancient Greek occult blah blah? The SSR partners Frank and Bucky for the mission.
Frank/Thor (MCU)
I love Thor to absolute distraction. He balances godly/regal gravitas and deadliness with jolliness, earnestness, gentleness, and a delightful alien weirdness. He would be such a fascinating foil for Frank's complicated temperament, and just generally, it would be boiling hot. Please let Frank find out who/what Thor is!
What is Frank’s reaction to this literal fairytale prince? Thor’s reaction to this lovely but sad earthling? How do they get along and get together? It can be forever love (if so, please handwave a mention of magical solutions to the lifespan issues), or a fling that ends amicably when Thor has to go home again, leaving Frank in a healthier and happier headspace to continue on with the rest of his life, both of them retaining fond memories of their time together.
— Does Thor carefully, joyfully, overwhelmingly seduce and fuck Frank’s repression away? Like, not even Frank’s dedicated self-denial can hold strong. And if an actual god is so into it/him, who is Frank to say this is ‘beastly’ or wrong?
— Or, maybe it’s set pre-Thor 1, and Thor was actually rather inexperienced (with men, or in general), and they learn together, or Frank initiates him.
— Are Asgardians nonchalantly bisexual? If so, how does Thor react to Frank’s repression? Or do Asgardians have their own hangups? If so, how do their different hangups intersect and how do they get over them together?
—Earth Setting: A canon divergence where Thor was banished to Frank’s time and location, whether Cambridge or Frank’s backyard or one of his archaeology digs? Or maybe Thor landed here/then during Ragnarok instead of Sakaar. Or maybe it’s set pre-Thor canon, when he snuck over to Earth for some secret fun and got stuck here (or Loki played a prank that got him stuck here)?
— Greece Setting: I love that Frank is an archaeologist! Maybe during one of his digs, he stumbles into an ancient place and accidentally sets off a magical thingy that summons gods, except a different set than expected. Or some wholly other reason for Thor being in Greece? I don’t actually care how Thor gets there; feel free to skip over that part.
— Disguised/Fish Out of Water: Thor trying to blend into 1920s Cambridge, or a Wodehouse-style club, or with Frank’s family... What do Frank’s friends make of Thor? What does Thor make of everything? How does Thor take to having to keep their relationship on the DL? Is he even capable of it?
— Random Optional Details: Thor using Mjolnir to fly Frank somewhere gorgeously remote; switching; spanking